UN human rights commission abolished effective June 16

[JURIST] The UN Commission on Human Rights [official website] was formally abolished Wednesday by a resolution [ECOSOC press release] of the UN Economic and Social Council [official website] adopted without a formal vote. The resolution calls for the completion of the commission's currently-suspended [JURIST report] sixty-second session and the final shutdown of the organization on June 16, when it will be replaced by the new UN Human Rights Council [JURIST news archive] created [JURIST report] last week by a General Assembly resolution [JURIST document] that passed 170-4 over objections from the United States, Israel, the Marshall island and Palau. The first meeting of the Council is scheduled for June 19 in Geneva.

The Commission, created in 1946, had been sharply criticized for allowing countries with continued human rights violations to win seats and protect each other from inquiries. Elections for the smaller, somewhat more stringent Council will be held May 9. Reuters has more.

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